Here is a poem that I came across that I found quite moving... hope you enjoy...Maureen

Desiderata

Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.
As far as possible without surrender
be on good terms with all persons.
Speak your truth quietly and clearly;
and listen to others,
even the dull and the ignorant;
they too have their story.
Avoid loud and aggressive persons,
they are vexations to the spirit.
If you compare yourself with others,
you may become vain and bitter;
for always there will be greater and lesser persons than yourself.
Enjoy your achievements as well as your plans.
Keep interested in your own career, however humble;
it is a real possession in the changing fortunes of time.
Exercise caution in your business affairs;
for the world is full of trickery.
But let this not blind you to what virtue there is;
many persons strive for high ideals;
and everywhere life is full of heroism.
Be yourself.
Especially, do not feign affection.
Neither be cynical about love;
for in the face of all aridity and disenchantment
it is as perennial as the grass.
Take kindly the counsel of the years,
gracefully surrendering the things of youth.
Nurture strength of spirit to shield you in sudden misfortune.
But do not distress yourself with dark imaginings.
Many fears are born of fatigue and loneliness.
Beyond a wholesome discipline,
be gentle with yourself.
You are a child of the universe,
no less than the trees and the stars;
you have a right to be here.
And whether or not it is clear to you,
no doubt the universe is unfolding as it should.
Therefore be at peace with God,
whatever you conceive Him to be,
and whatever your labors and aspirations,
in the noisy confusion of life keep peace with your soul.
With all its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams,
it is still a beautiful world.
Be cheerful.
Strive to be happy.

Desiderata, Max Ehrmann.

Montreal 07 Part 4 Keith Jarrett

Pianist Keith Jarrett has to climb a mountain of expectation every time he performs.
Audiences know he is capable of breathtaking, bravura performances. They also know about his finicky and testy side when things don't go right.
Which Jarrett would Maureen, Luke, Claire and I get?
Adding to the mystique is the fact he suffered from debilitating chronic fatigue syndrome, which he contracted in 1996 and which left him unable to play at all for a couple of years.
It was a long road back and last night at the Salle Wilfrid Pelletier of Place des Arts, Jarrett showed why so many music fans rejoiced when he began to play again in 2000.
He is a pianist of sublime touch and an improviser of unsurpassed brilliance. Those gifts were in full display.With long-time collaborators Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums, he plumbed the emotional depths on standards, ballads and blues - tunes that in the hands of anyone else might seem cliched.
The evening was thick with anticipation as Jarrett, clad in a turquoise vest, took the stage and wiggled his fingers at the audience. "Warmup exercises,' he joked. Soon, he was up to his old devices, standing up from the piano bench to deliver blistering runs and moaning with emotion as he sank into thick chords. The trio, in its third decade of existence, had a level of unconditional trust that allowed for completely free interplay on ballads such as Spring Can Really Hang You Up A Lot and I Thought About You.
Jarrett voiced his dense chords like nobody else, and his melodic lines were so long that you never quite knew where they were headed.
Peacock's deep-bottomed bass always seemed to lay down the right harmonic framework, while DeJohnette was appropriately understated. On up-tempo tunes like The Way You Look Tonight, they played lightly together, making great music.

Before they came out for the obligatory encore, digital cameras were going off all over the place. Mr. Sensitive, (Jarrett) took the opportunity to yell at those with cameras to "Stop taking those f******* pictures if you want to hear more music." Then, he lectured the crowd about overindulgence in electronics. A small price to pay for a good time.

Montreal '07 Part 3 Joshua Redman Trio

Kathleen, John, Alex and I were at the Theatre Mainsoneve last night, and we were glad we went.

Saxophonist Joshua Redman is one of the most charismatic and successful artists in jazz. His success is deserved, and it's been keeping him busy.
He founded the SFJAZZ Collective, a composer's "workshop" band dedicated to new music. He also served as the artistic director of the San Francisco Jazz Spring Season for seven years, and has released eleven recordings as a band leader.
Redman's newest CD is Back East. Redman's inspiration for Back East came from Sonny Rollins' classic recording Way Out West. Redman says it all happened rather randomly. "I had my itunes on shuffle and 'I'm an Old Cowhand' from Way Out West came on and it just blew me away. I rarely have these moments of inspiration but immediately I said 'I've got to do my own version of this song.'"
Even before that inspiring moment, Redman knew he wanted to do a stripped-down acoustic trio record—just sax, bass and drums.
"It's a tremendously liberating format," Redman says. "Because there's no piano, no dedicated melodic instrument, it gives me and the other musicians so much room to experiment and explore, both melodically and harmonically. But with that freedom comes an awful lot of responsibility."
Redman has a distinguished musical pedigree. His father was the revered tenor saxophonist Dewey Redman, (who played a concert with Pat Matheney last year, months before he died), and his mother, dancer Renee Shedroff, introduced him to music at a young age. Redman took up the saxophone in 5th grade, and later played in the Berkeley High School Jazz Ensemble.
At Harvard, he earned his bachelor's degree, but not in music. He did play in the big band, however, encouraged by the great tenor saxophonist and Artist-in-Residence Illinois Jacquet.
Redman graduated Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and seriously contemplated law school. But in the meantime he won the Thelonious Monk International Saxophone Competition and launched his career as a performer and recording artist.

I think this will link you to a performance of Redman's. If not, I'm sorry

http://www.npr.org/templates/dmg/dmg_em.php?id=4627137&type=7&date=&au=1&pid=40643724&random=5631647025&guid=0005C78FDA1F06871194B78261626364&upf=Win32&splayer=sp&mtype=WM&ssid=&topicName=Music&subtopicName=Jazz&prgCode=&hubId=-1&thingId=10361894&tableModifier=&mswmext=.asx

There John and I and Alex and Kathleen are, in the forty-third row, 279th on the left! It was this crowded last night, and we had a great time after the concert eating crepes and being suffocated!

More later...